Nature should be prescribed

Nature is medicine for the soul. It’s good for the body, and mind, and can revive even the most withered of spirits. It’s the ultimate defibrillator for a sad or worn out heart, too. American biologist Edward Wilson coined the term “biophilia” to describe the genetically influenced love of nature that humans have.

All life on this planet stems from a single origin point, and we share DNA with not just animals but plants, too. So, naturally, we have a deep affinity with the living world. But population growth, resources extraction and rapid urbanisation are displacing nature and uprooting our connection to the living earth.

Only 23 per cent of the entire planet’s wilderness remains. And more than half of the global population now live in urban areas. This is set to rise to 68 per cent by 2050. Here in WA, 75 per cent of our 2.67 million population live in the Perth metropolitan region. And by 2050 Perth is expected to reach a whopping 3.5 million people.

This means two things: we need to rethink urban planning and design now; and build responsibly, with the human-nature connection front of mind.

A growing body of scientific evidence has emerged over the past 15 years demonstrating the benefits of nature to all facets of health. Time spent in nature improves the way we think and feel. The social and economic benefits are clear, too.

Rates of mental illness, such as depression, anxiety and even psychotic and behaviour disorders, are far higher in cities than in the country. Though country life comes with its own challenges, for sure. Ready access to green areas has proved to reduce the risk, and instances, of depression and anxiety, and reduce the rates of schizophrenia by 50 per cent, compared to living in hardscaped urban jungles, devoid of plant life.

A Finnish study found that five hours a month, minimum, is the ideal dose of nature to keep depression at bay. But it’s not just the amount of time that matters. The kind of nature-based experience is important, too. Based on the food pyramid, and akin to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the nature pyramid indicates the amount and type of nature-based connection required to optimise health and wellbeing.

Here’s the prescription: get outside daily; breathe fresh air; bring green life into your home. This will help reduce distress and increase mental clarity and focus. Spend two hours a week in bigger greenscapes, such as a park or by the ocean, to increase creativity and reduce stress. Immerse yourself in larger environments, like the forest, for two consecutive days a month. This will help down regulate the nervous system, increase immune function, and provide a dose of introspection.

Then, one or twice a year, go wild, for several days at a time. Australia is one of the top five countries with the highest rates of wilderness left on earth — around 40 per cent remains. So get among it. Outside this, biophilic city planning and built design is where the money is at. It is a healthy investment in our future, and will become increasingly important as we move in the direction of higher density living.

As Hippocrates espoused, “the physician treats, nature heals”. Naturescapes prevent disease, reduce the burden of illness and increase vitality, optimism and hope — life. It’s time to think differently about our place in the world, as part of a living system rather than as separate, or superior, to it. We are innately connected to nature, and we need it to thrive.

This article was first published in The West Australian in Renée Gardiner’s weekly column in Agenda, 16 April 2022.